Masters are Fish.

[lblair]

… In that regard, from what I have
heard, the movie was far too harsh on Josh Waitskin’s chess coach.
Great theatre, perhaps, but hard to believe one could be truly effective and act as that character was depicted.

The teaching method in SEARCHING FOR BOOBY FISCHER was appropriate for that particular student. Both teachers realized that. Understanding your private student’s personality and character is necessary.

When dealing with a fictional character, it is hard to test what is appropriate. I believe that, if you find the commentary of the real Bruce Pandolfini, you will find that he did not consider the movie behavior appropriate as a way to behave towards the real Joshua Waitzkin.
blueeyedrook.blogspot.com/2008/0 … ok-vs.html

… [Pandolfini] lacks the real fanaticism that the movie version portrays. …

… Yes, Bruce was intense at one time. He hasn’t developed another International Master since Josh, not that such talent grows on trees. According to an interview in NEW YORK magazine, Bruce earns six figures per year since the movie. Financial comfort and success, organizing teaching classes, and being able to demand the highest rate for private lessons, tends to lessen that type of intensity.

Certainly any published comments from Bruce after the release of the movie, were geared for the new business opportunities that were available. …

If we have no evidence other than (1) Bruce Pandoolfini saying that he did not behave as depicted in the movie, (2) the book not agreeing with the movie, and (3) the movie itself not making any claim to being a documentary, I would say that the best guess (by far) is that the real Bruce Pandolfini did not behave as depicted in the movie.

You are guessing. That’s right. To a degree, so am I. At least I have seen the people involved over the years. No, decades. I will say that Bruce does not get as frustrated as Ben Kingsley acts. Both Vinnie and Bruce can be forceful, (Or Vinnie used to. His favorite expression for the last few years was, “What are you bringing to the table?”)

It seems to me that ability-to-be-“forceful” is pretty vague and, as a description, does not do anything to indicate that the movie is more trustworthy than the book or Bruce Pandolfini himself with regard to BP’s behavior. If the evidence is as currently described, I don’t see how anything other than blind faith could justify taking the movie as more accurate than the book and the comments of BP himself. The author of the book has done a fair amount of seeing of the people involved.

You have to have contempt for your opponents, because if you don’t think it’s a part of winning, you’re wrong. … You have to hate them.

• Ben Kingsley character in the movie

[My son is] decent, and if you or anyone else tries to beat that out of him, I swear to God, I’ll take him away.

• Joan Allen character in the movie

[Crume]

@MikeMurray

@Crume

@Joe Lux

[
…2700…?

That rating and $7 will get him a latte at Starbucks…

I’d guess that rating, and an hour’s time, will get him upwards of a hundred bucks. As many times as he can tolerate.

+1

I’d say the upward bound of such $100 units per day is probably 24, with a psychotic breakdown somewhere after 48 units. Just napkin math of course.